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The Food of Gods: Mansaf

Mansaf is a famous traditional Jordanian dish that I had the pleasure of eating many times during my study abroad experience in Jordan. Mansaf can be made of lamb or chicken, which is cooked in a yogurt sauce called “jameet” (which is fermented yougurt) with yellow rice. Often pine nuts and some green herbs are laid upon the top. This dish is primarily served in Jordan but can also be found in Palestine, Syria, as well as parts of Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Mansaf has a very unique and strong taste that often is not compatible with Western pallets. However, mansaf became my favorite Jordanian dish.

Mansaf is a very important traditional dish that has roots to the Bedouin (desert nomad) culture. The Bedouin culture is strongly tied to the Tribal culture of Jordan and Mansaf plays a key role in the society. Mansaf is served on special occasions such as weddings, births, graduations, and/or when honoring a guest. It is also served on major holidays such as Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha (during Ramadaan), Christmas Day, Easter, and Jordan’s Independence Day. Mansaf has been used as a diplomatic device between rival Tribal families. Mansaf is of the utmost importance to the Jordanian culture.

Not only does Mansaf serve a special purpose, there is also a “proper” way to eat it. Mansaf is cooked on a big platter which is placed on a plastic table mat by the wife of the house. If you want eat serve Mansaf according to the guidelines of tradition there should be a lambs head in the middle of the dish, which is then either given as food to the servants of the house or the neighbors. All of the guests sit around the big platter and wait for everyone to be seated. Before eating, you say “bisma’ Allah” (which directly translates to “In the name of God”). Mansaf is traditionally eaten by hands, however, recently younger generations have moved towards eating with a spoon. Women have always used spoons because it is considered impolite for the women to use their hands. Next I will explain exactly how to eat Mansaf with your hands: First, make sure your hands are clean. Second, after the Lebna (yogurt sauce) is poured over your section of the big platter you will take your right hand and proceed to take a section of the food making it into a ball. The lebna will help the rice and meat stick together in a ball shape. Third, once the food is in the size of a small ball you then throw the ball in your mouth and eat. Fourth, make sure to eat as much as you possibly can because it is considered rude in Jordanian culture to not finish your food when you are a guest. Fifth, enjoy the Mansaf. Sixth, if you are a male you are obligated to smoke a cigarette or two with the male members of the household, after you have said “Il hamdu Allah.”

For many Mansaf is something they are told to stay away from but, ignore the critics. Mansaf is an extremely rich and heavy dish that will keep you full for an entire day. As I begin to use my hands to form the Mansaf into a ball, a feeling of joy jolts through my bloodstream releasing an animal-like instinct. While eating Mansaf I morph into a primal being, with food as its only destiny. Never has food changed me into an animal, but Mansaf is another story.

This is a photo of my friends and I while we ate a traditional Mansaf meal at my language partner’s household in Irbid, Jordan.

***Interesting fact: The husband in this family has two families one in Jordan and another in the United Arab Emirates where the husband has his job. Since, the Jordanian economy is abysmal it is very common for men to work abroad in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, etc. Also, both families are perfectly okay with the fact that their father has two families. Talk about cultural differences!